ABSTRACT
It is debatable, however, whether wildfires should be considered natural disasters at all since an estimated 80 per cent of them ultimately are man-made, resulting from negligence or ignorance in forestry, farming or some other form of land use (Goldammer 1999: 69). Indeed, it has become increasingly apparent in recent years that many wildfires are not only not natural but are not accidents either. It has been suggested that around a quarter of wildfires in California occur as a result of arson (Smith 2001: 256). There was a public outcry in Australia in 2002 when it appeared that the 2001-2 ‘Black Christmas’ fires that devastated large areas of New South Wales were deliberately started by a number of youths and young adults for no clear motive. The human aspect, whether deliberate or accidental, has become more significant with the increased encroachment of settlements into wooded areas and wildfires are becoming more common. Wildfires are now a regular phenomenon in certain places.
